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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kick — in football
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. swing — in golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com